Skip to main content

Microsoft completes Hotmail to Outlook.com upgrade, SkyDrive integration rolling out

Microsoft completes Hotmail to Outlook.com upgrade, SkyDrive integration rolling out

Share this story

Outlook.com hed
Outlook.com hed

Microsoft announced on Thursday that it has now completed its Hotmail to Outlook.com upgrade. Over 400 million active accounts are now using the service, with Microsoft having migrated 150 petabytes of email data in just over six weeks. Alongside the milestone, Outlook.com is getting two new features: SMTP send and improved SkyDrive integration.

Improved SkyDrive integration and SMTP send

SMTP send allows Outlook.com accounts to send email directly through another email account's SMTP server. In the past Outlook.com has supported this by using a "send on behalf" feature, but now email will send directly to recipients. "We knew this was a pain point for some people," explains Microsoft's Dick Craddock. "So now we've made it so that email sent from a different account goes through that account's SMTP server."

The improved SkyDrive integration now means Outlook.com users can compose emails and select SkyDrive photos and files directly from the cloud storage service. Both features are rolling out today, and the SkyDrive integration should be complete in the coming weeks.